These Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are undeniably the best breakfast treat I’ve ever made, eaten or shared with my RecipeGirl readers. It’s even better than the original- those Cinnamon Roll Pancakes that have been adored by many. Or the Gingerbread- Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. This is Cinnamon Roll Pancakes taken up a notch- a big notch. !
These are the best pancakes ever. I kid you not. If you like cinnamon rolls, then this is for you. If you’re a lover of pumpkin, then you’re just going to be in absolute heaven over these. And things topped with cream cheese icing. And evil breakfast dishes. Is that you?
These Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are definitely not for the person who is watching their weight. They’re not even the kind of pancakes you should be making every weekend. But they are a decadent treat that should absolutely be made at least once every time pumpkin season rolls around.
How to make Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes:
The key to making this recipe a success is the cinnamon filling. If you can get the cinnamon filling right, you’ll get these pancakes right. Very detailed instructions are in the recipe below. Check it out, and follow them. Your pancakes will rule the world if you do.
When you mix the cinnamon swirl mixture, it will be thick, but with a lot of melted butter that is not really mixed in. Don’t worry. That’s how it’s supposed to look at this point.
Pour it into a zip baggie and let it sit at room temperature. You want it to thicken up a bit- which it will likely do just perfectly by the time you get to the pancakes. Just pick the baggie up every once in a while and squish it around to re-incorporate the butter, which will tend to want to separate from the sugar.
You’re going to be cutting a tiny hole in the corner of the zip baggie. And then you’ll be swirling like this. See that picture above? That’s exactly how you want the swirl to be able to come out of that baggie. If it’s too liquidy, then it’s not quite ready yet. Squish it around some more and let it sit at room temp some more. Eventually, you’ll be able to get a “toothpaste-like” consistency out of it. That’s what you want.
That cinnamon filling is swirled into a spiced-up pumpkin pancake batter on a hot and sizzling skillet. When the pancake begins to bubble and pop on top, you will gently flip it over and let the cinnamon swirl side cook.
It comes out looking like this, cinnamon crater swirls and all. Wowza.
Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling.
Time for drizzling the cream cheese icing. Drizzle as little or as much as you want. I recommend much.
P.S. This recipe is all thanks to a reader, who happened to suggest that my cinnamon roll pancakes might be good with a pumpkin version. Thank you, dear reader. You were right. Oh so right!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes
Ingredients
CINNAMON FILLING:
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- ¼ cup (½ stick) salted butter
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- ¾ cup powdered sugar (measure, then sift)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
PANCAKES:
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
Instructions
PREPARE THE CINNAMON FILLING:
- In a small bowl- mix the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Whisk the filling ingredients together and then pour it into a sandwich-sized zip baggie. Zip up the baggie and lay it on the counter while you prepare the pancake batter.
PREPARE THE ICING:
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and cream cheese 30 to 60 seconds, just until butter has melted and cream cheese has softened. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla and combine until smooth. Set the icing aside.
PREPARE THE PANCAKE BATTER:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, pumpkin, eggs, oil, and vinegar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, salt and brown sugar. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir just until all is moistened.
CHECK ON THE CINNAMON FILLING:
- Open up the baggie again and give it a good stir to re-incorporate any butter that may have separated. You want the mixture to thicken a bit- it's best when it's similar to the squeezing texture of toothpaste (which will eventually happen if you leave it on the counter long enough, but refrigerate for a few minutes if you need to). Don't try to use the filling for the pancake swirl unless it has thickened as it will be too runny! Snip off a small piece of the corner of the baggie.
COOK THE PANCAKES:
- Preheat a large skillet or griddle to medium, and spray it with nonstick spray. Use an ice cream scoop (or ladle) to add the batter to the pan. Use the bottom of the scoop or ladle to spread out the batter into a nice, even circle. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Pick up your cinnamon filling baggie and squeeze the filling into the corner. Starting at the center of the pancake squeeze the cinnamon filling on top of the pancake batter in a swirl (just as you see in a cinnamon roll). Cook the pancakes 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles begin popping on top of the pancake and it is golden brown on the bottom. Slide a thin spatula underneath the pancake and gently but quickly flip it over. Cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, until the other side is golden as well. When you flip the pancake onto a plate, you will see that the cinnamon filling has created a crater-swirl of cinnamon. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel, and repeat with the remaining pancake batter and cinnamon filling. Serve pancakes topped with a drizzle of cream cheese icing.
Notes
- *If you do not have pumpkin pie spice, use this combo of spices instead: 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make the Cinnamon filling and/or the Cream Cheese Icing the night before and refrigerate? Or do you think they would be too cold for the recipe? Trying to save time Christmas morning!
I haven’t made them ahead… I’m thinking that might be a little tricky.
Made these this morning and everyone loved them. Not as good looking as yours but I don’t think they cared lol. Wonderful!
Made these for Sunday breakfast today, they were great! Followed recipe to the letter. Thinking of skipping the cream cheese drizzle and making them “Pumpkin Cinnamon Sticky Bun Pancakes” topping them with toasted pecans and maple syrup!!
Sounds like a great idea!
I’m just having the worst time with these. Too thin and the cinnamon swirl doesn’t work…too thick and it doesn’t cook. I actually need to feed people and I even made this the night before so I would have time to enjoy and cook these up. Trouble is they are doughy and not cooking and I followed the recipe precisely. Any tips would be great if I ever decide to venture on this little diabeetus journey again.
Do not make the batter the night before!
I just want to say that if sometimes you’re a little lazy like me, these taste wonderful with a batch of Krusteaz Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread pancake batter in place of making the pancake batter from scratch. But whether you go all homemade or sub in a mix, these are still amazing. If you’re a fan of pumpkin stuff like me, I highly suggest you try it.
Can these be made WITHOUT the apple cider vinegar? I’m highly allergic to anything apple, but would love to try these.
Sure…
Was looking for something more than standard pancakes this morning when I came across your cinnamon-roll pancake recipes and I decided we had to try it! Decided on the pumpkin because it is mid-October. They were a hit with the whole family (which is rare with a family of 6!). One thing I learned … put the cinnamon swirl on as soon as you can (pour one pancake, put the swirl on). I was filling up the griddle with pancakes then putting the swirls on, and even with toothpaste consistency was getting the swirl running all over (course, they were still delicious!). When I started getting the swirl on right away, I got the cinnamon-crater goodness like in your photos.
These were the first ‘cinnamon roll’ pancakes of yours that I tried and they are AMAZING. My boys adored them. My husband actually slowed down and savored them. They’re so rich I couldn’t even finish two! I used a ladle to pour out the batter so it only made ten but those ten pancakes were the size of small plates! Thank you for this fantastic recipe!
Made these this morning and the family raved… no it was more of a moan of delight. 😉 I am certain to receive many future requests. Thank you for making me super aunt among my nephews
glad to hear!
I’ve had this recipe saved in my bookmarks for quite a long time now, and I forgot about them….sadly, until today when I was sorting those bookmarks out. Well I just decided we’re having them for dinner tonight! They pretty much sound like the most amazing dish ever, and I really, really, REALLY can’t wait to eat them!!
Thanks for sharing this <3